Serie A: Udinese vs AC Milan! Two key defenders are missing, will Udinese be vulnerable?

Today's first Serie A match to discuss: Udinese vs AC Milan!

For AC Milan, Udinese was a hard nut to crack last season.

The away win was secured thanks to Ibrahimovic’s spectacular bicycle kick.

The home draw was due to Udinese defender Larsen’s defensive errors in the box.

Last season was tough enough, and now Milan is missing six main players, making it an even greater challenge.

However, Udinese is facing an awkward situation: they don’t have enough central defenders.

Udinese sold too many key players during the off-season, including De Paul, who was both a leader and a core player, so their overall squad quality has dropped.

Therefore, they have resolutely adopted a defensive five-back system regardless of the opponent’s strength.

But in the last match against Empoli, due to the injury of main center-back Becao, they had to switch to a four-back formation because of the shortage.

As a result, their defense was full of holes and they were easily overturned by their opponents.

Today, not only is Becao still injured, but another key center-back, Santos, is suspended. Even if they use four defenders, at least one center-back will be a substitute, which is worrying.

Can a relegation-threatened team rely on a veteran like Ibrahimovic as just a substitute to get by?

Being knocked out of the Champions League group stage might not necessarily be bad news for Milan.

If you watch the top six Serie A matches, you’ll notice Milan is the most determined team, playing with high intensity and constant pressing, which often leads them to perform beyond expectations.

However, this style consumes a lot of energy, and Milan lacks financial strength and squad depth, so their key players are prone to injuries. With two competitions underway, the injury crisis has hit hard.

Udinese is at the other extreme; perhaps because many of their key players are on loan or short contracts, they don’t fight as hard during matches. When their fitness is good in the first half, they perform decently.

But in the tiring second half, they often lose focus. They concede 1.6 times more goals in the second half than in the first. Their last match against Empoli also collapsed in the second half.

Udinese urgently needs a respected coach to boost the players’ fighting spirit.

They did just replace their coach recently, firing Gotti and appointing Jofre.

However, Jofre was previously Gotti’s assistant, so tactically it might be more of the same. Also, he lacks experience managing in the top five European leagues, so his authority is unlikely to surpass Gotti’s.

Although Milan has many injured players, this team is strong, hardworking, and has potent forwards like Ibrahimovic and Leao. Without a strong fighting spirit and missing two key center-backs, this will be a tough challenge.

Last season, when playing Milan, De Paul and Becao each carried a match. Now? It’s hard for me to be optimistic about Udinese, so I’m more hopeful that AC Milan will secure the three points this time!

Alright, for today’s other matches, I will still provide written analysis this afternoon. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Let’s watch the games clearly together and meet here every day!

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